View source for 1790 United States census

{{Use American English|date = March 2019}}
{{Short description|First United States census}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2018}}
{{Infobox census
| name = 1790 United States census
| logo = Seal of the United States Census Bureau.svg
| logo_caption = Seal of the [[United States Census Bureau]]
| image = 1790a-01-page-001.jpg
| image_caption = Title page of 1790 United States census
| country = United States
| date = {{start date|1790|08|02}}
| population = 3,893,635
| percent_change =
| region_type = state
| most_populous = [[Virginia]] (747,610)
| least_populous = [[Delaware]] (59,094)
| next_census = 1800 United States census
| next_year = 1800
}}
The '''United States census of 1790''' was the first [[United States Census|census]] of the whole [[United States]]. It recorded the population of the United States as of [[Census Day]], August 2, 1790, as mandated by Article I, Section 2 of the [[United States Constitution]] and applicable laws. In the first census, the population of the United States was enumerated to be 3,929,214.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/history/www/through_the_decades/fast_facts/1790_fast_facts.html |title=History: 1790 Fast Facts |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau}}</ref>

Congress assigned responsibility for the 1790 census to the marshals of United States judicial districts under an act which, with minor modifications and extensions, governed census taking until the 1840 census. "The law required that every household be visited, that completed census schedules be posted in 'two of the most public places within [each jurisdiction], there to remain for the inspection of all concerned...' and that 'the aggregate amount of each description of persons' for every district be transmitted to the [[President of the United States|president]]."<ref name=1790overview>{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/history/www/through_the_decades/overview/1790.html |title=History: 1790 Overview |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau}}</ref>

==Contemporary perception==
Both Secretary of State [[Thomas Jefferson]] and President [[George Washington]] expressed skepticism<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/history/www/through_the_decades/overview/1790.html |title=1790 Overview |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau}}</ref> over the results, believing that the true population had been undercounted.  If there was indeed an undercount, possible explanations for it include dispersed population, poor transportation links, limitations of contemporary technology, and individual refusal to participate.{{cn|date=July 2020}}

==Loss of data==
Although the census was proved statistically factual, based on data collected, the records for several states (including Delaware, Georgia, New Jersey, and Virginia) were lost sometime between 1790 and 1830.<ref>{{cite book|last=Dollarhide|first=William |title=The Census Book: A Genealogists Guide to Federal Census Facts, Schedules and Indexes|publisher=HeritageQuest|location=North Salt Lake, Utah|year=2001|page=7}}</ref>  Almost one third of the original census data have been lost or destroyed since their original documentation.  These include some 1790 data from: Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and Vermont; however, the validity and existence of most of these data can be confirmed in many secondary sources pertaining to the first census.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.1930census.com/1790_census.php |title=1790 Census |publisher=1930 Census Resources for Genealogists}}</ref>

==Data availability==
No [[microdata (statistics)|microdata]] from the 1790 population census are available, but [[aggregate data]] for small areas, together with compatible cartographic boundary files, can be downloaded from the [[National Historical Geographic Information System]].

==Data==
Census data included the name of the head of the family and categorized inhabitants as follows: free white males at least 16 years of age (to assess the country's industrial and military potential), free white males under 16 years of age, free white females, all other free persons (reported by sex and color), and slaves.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/prod/www/decennial.html |title=1790 Census of Population and Housing |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150426102944/http://www.census.gov/prod/www/decennial.html |archive-date=April 26, 2015  }}</ref>  Under the direction of the [[Secretary of State]] [[Thomas Jefferson]], marshals collected data from all thirteen states ([[Connecticut]], [[Delaware]], [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]], [[Maryland]], [[Massachusetts]], [[New Hampshire]], [[New Jersey]], [[New York (state)|New York]], [[North Carolina]], [[Pennsylvania]], [[Rhode Island]], [[South Carolina]], and [[Virginia]]), and from [[Maine]] and the [[Southwest Territory]].<ref name="1790overview"/> The census was not conducted in [[Vermont]] until 1791, after that state's [[admission to the Union]] as the 14th state on March 4 of that year.  (From 1777 until early 1791, and hence during all of 1790, [[Vermont Republic|Vermont was a de facto independent country]] whose government took the position that Vermont was not then a part of the United States.)

At 17.8 percent, the 1790 census's proportion of slaves to the free population was the highest ever recorded by any census of the United States.{{citation needed|date=June 2021}}

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! scope="col" style="width:10em;" | {{longitem|State or territory}}
! scope="col" | {{longitem|Free white males of 16 years and upward{{efn|name=head|Heads of families were included.}}}}
! scope="col" | {{longitem|Free white males under 16 years}}
! scope="col" | {{longitem|Free white females{{efn|name=head}}}}
! scope="col" | {{longitem|All other free persons}}
! scope="col" data-sort-type="number" | {{longitem|Slaves}}
! scope="col" data-sort-type="number" | {{longitem|Slaves % of state population}}
! scope="col" data-sort-type="number" | {{longitem|Total}}
! scope="col" data-sort-type="number" | {{longitem|% of U.S. population}}
|-
! scope="row" | [[Vermont]]
| 22,435
| 22,328
| 40,505
| 255
| 16<ref group=lower-alpha>The census of 1790, published in 1791, reports 16 enslaved persons in Vermont. Subsequently, and up to 1860, the number is given as 17. An examination of the original manuscript allegedly shows that there never were any slaves in Vermont. The original error occurred in preparing the results for publication, when 16 persons, returned as "Free colored", were classified as "Slave". But this claim is [[history of slavery in Vermont|disputed]] by at least one historian.</ref><ref>{{Cite web | url=http://slavenorth.com/vermont.htm | title=Slavery in Vermont}}</ref>
| 0.0%
| 85,529
| 2.2%
|-
! scope="row" | [[New Hampshire]]
| 36,086
| 34,851
| 70,160
| 630
| 158
| 0.1%
| 141,801
| 3.6%
|-
! scope="row" | [[District of Maine|Maine]]
| 24,384
| 24,748
| 46,870
| 538
| 0
| 0.0%
| 96,540
| 2.4%
|-
! scope="row" | [[Massachusetts]]
| 95,453
| 87,289
| 190,582
| 5,463
| 0
| 0.0%
| 378,787
| 9.8%
|-
! scope="row" | [[Rhode Island]]
| 16,019
| 15,799
| 32,652
| 3,407
| 948
| 1.4%
| 68,825
| 1.7%
|-
! scope="row" | [[Connecticut]]
| 60,523
| 54,403
| 117,448
| 2,808
| 2,764
| 1.2%
| 237,946
| 6.0%
|-
! scope="row" | [[New York (state)|New York]]
| 83,700
| 78,122
| 152,320
| 4,654
| 21,324
| 6.3%
| 340,120
| 8.6%
|-
! scope="row" | [[New Jersey]]
| 45,251
| 41,416
| 83,287
| 2,762
| 11,423
| 6.2%
| 184,139
| 4.6%
|-
! scope="row" | [[Pennsylvania]]
| 110,788
| 106,948
| 206,363
| 6,537
| 3,737
| 0.9%
| 434,373
| 11.0%
|-
! scope="row" | [[Delaware]]
| 11,783
| 12,143
| 22,384
| 3,899
| 8,887
| 15.0%
| 59,094<ref group=lower-alpha>Corrected figures are 59,096, or 2 more than figures published in 1790, due to error in addition.</ref>
| 1.5%
|-
! scope="row" | [[Maryland]]
| 55,915
| 51,339
| 101,395
| 8,043
| 103,036
| 32.2%
| 319,728
| 8.1%
|-
! scope="row" | [[Virginia]]
| 110,936
| 116,135
| 215,046
| 12,866
| 292,627
| 39.1%
| 747,610<ref group=lower-alpha>The figures for Virginia do not include the population of Kentucky. Though Kentucky was then a part of Virginia, the Kentucky figures were compiled separately, and are shown on the line for Kentucky. The Virginia figures do include the portion of Virginia that later became the state of West Virginia.</ref><ref name="CenturyPopulationGrowth">{{cite web|last1=Census Office|first1=United States|year=1909|title=A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=H9KwtRkiO1YC&pg=PA42|page=47}}</ref>
| 18.9%
|-
! scope="row" | [[Kentucky County, Virginia|Kentucky]]
| 15,154
| 17,057
| 28,922
| 114
| 12,430
| 16.9%
| 73,677
| 1.9%
|-
! scope="row" | [[North Carolina]]
| 69,988
| 77,506
| 140,710
| 4,975
| 100,572
| 25.5%
| 393,751
| 9.9%
|-
! scope="row" | [[South Carolina]]
| 35,576
| 37,722
| 66,880
| 1,801
| 107,094
| 43.0%
| 249,073
| 6.3%
|-
! scope="row" | [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]]
| 13,103
| 14,044
| 25,739
| 398
| 29,264
| 35.5%
| 82,548
| 2.1%
|-
! scope="row" | [[Southwest Territory]]
| 6,271
| 10,277
| 15,365
| 361
| 3,417
| 9.6%
| 35,691
| 0.9%
|- style="background:#EAECF0;" class="sortbottom"
! scope="row" | Total
| '''813,365'''
| '''802,127'''
| '''1,556,628'''    
| '''59,511'''
| '''701,098'''
| '''17.8%'''
| '''3,964,905'''
| '''100%'''
|}
{{reflist|group=lower-alpha}}

==City rankings==
[[File:Pitcher commemorating the first United States census, c. 1790, made in England - National Museum of American History - DSC06150.JPG|thumb|Commemorative pitcher with census results]]
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! scope="col" | Rank
! scope="col" | City
! scope="col" | State
! scope="col" | Population<ref name=census1998>{{citation |title=Population of the 100 Largest Cities and Other Urban Places in the United States: 1790 to 1990 |year=1998 |url=https://www.census.gov/library/working-papers/1998/demo/POP-twps0027.html |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Population of Connecticut Towns 1756–1820|url=http://www.sots.ct.gov/sots/cwp/view.asp?a=3188&q=392400|website=Connecticut Secretary of the State|publisher=State of Connecticut|access-date=April 13, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170113205538/http://www.sots.ct.gov/sots/cwp/view.asp?a=3188&q=392394|archive-date=January 13, 2017|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref>
! scope="col" | [[List of regions of the United States#Census Bureau-designated regions and divisions|Region (2016)]]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/econ/census/help/geography/regions_and_divisions.html |title=Regions and Divisions |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |access-date=September 9, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161203020637/http://www.census.gov/econ/census/help/geography/regions_and_divisions.html |archive-date=December 3, 2016 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }}</ref>
! scope="col" | Population (2010)
|-
! scope="row" | 1
| [[Manhattan|New York]] || [[New York (state)|New York]] || 33,131 || [[Northeastern United States (U.S. Census Bureau)|Northeast]] || 1,585,873 [Manhattan only]
|-
! scope="row" | 2
| [[Philadelphia]] || [[Pennsylvania]] || 28,522 || [[Northeastern United States (U.S. Census Bureau)|Northeast]] || 135,872 [Center City only]
|-
! scope="row" | 3
| [[Boston]] || [[Massachusetts]] || 18,320 || [[Northeastern United States (U.S. Census Bureau)|Northeast]] || 617,594
|-
! scope="row" | 4
| [[Charleston, South Carolina|Charleston]] || [[South Carolina]] || 16,359 || [[Southern United States|South]] || 120,083
|-
! scope="row" | 5
| [[Baltimore]] || [[Maryland]] || 13,503 || [[Southern United States|South]] || 620,961
|-
! scope="row" | 6
| [[Norwalk, Connecticut|Norwalk]] || [[Connecticut]] || 11,942 || [[Northeastern United States (U.S. Census Bureau)|Northeast]] || 85,603
|-
! scope="row" | 7
| [[Northern Liberties, Philadelphia|Northern Liberties]] || [[Pennsylvania]] || 9,913 || [[Northeastern United States (U.S. Census Bureau)|Northeast]] || {{N/A}}
|-
! scope="row" | 8
| [[Salem, Massachusetts|Salem]] || [[Massachusetts]] || 7,921 || [[Northeastern United States (U.S. Census Bureau)|Northeast]] || 41,340
|-
! scope="row" | 9
| [[Newport, Rhode Island|Newport]] || [[Rhode Island]] || 6,716 || [[Northeastern United States (U.S. Census Bureau)|Northeast]] || 24,672
|-
! scope="row" | 10
| [[Providence, Rhode Island|Providence]] || [[Rhode Island]] || 6,380 || [[Northeastern United States (U.S. Census Bureau)|Northeast]] || 178,042
|-
! scope="row" | 11
| [[Marblehead, Massachusetts|Marblehead]] || [[Massachusetts]] || 5,661 || [[Northeastern United States (U.S. Census Bureau)|Northeast]] || 19,808
|-
! scope="row" | 12
| [[Southwark, Philadelphia|Southwark]] || [[Pennsylvania]] || 5,661 || [[Northeastern United States (U.S. Census Bureau)|Northeast]] || {{N/A}}
|-
! scope="row" | 13
| [[Gloucester, Massachusetts|Gloucester]] || [[Massachusetts]] || 5,317 || [[Northeastern United States (U.S. Census Bureau)|Northeast]] || 28,789
|-
! scope="row" | 14
| [[Newburyport, Massachusetts|Newburyport]] || [[Massachusetts]] || 4,837 || [[Northeastern United States (U.S. Census Bureau)|Northeast]] || 17,416
|-
! scope="row" | 15
| [[Portsmouth, New Hampshire|Portsmouth]] || [[New Hampshire]] || 4,720 || [[Northeastern United States (U.S. Census Bureau)|Northeast]] || 21,233
|-
! scope="row" | 16
| [[Nantucket|Sherburne]] || [[Massachusetts]] || 4,555 || [[Northeastern United States (U.S. Census Bureau)|Northeast]] || 10,172
|-
! scope="row" | 17
| [[Middleborough, Massachusetts|Middleborough]] || [[Massachusetts]] || 4,526 || [[Northeastern United States (U.S. Census Bureau)|Northeast]] || 23,116
|-
! scope="row" | 18
| [[New Haven, Connecticut|New Haven]] || [[Connecticut]] || 4,487 || [[Northeastern United States (U.S. Census Bureau)|Northeast]] || 129,779
|-
! scope="row" | 19
| [[South Kingstown, Rhode Island|South Kingstown]] || [[Rhode Island]] || 4,131 || [[Northeastern United States (U.S. Census Bureau)|Northeast]] || 30,639
|-
! scope="row" | 20
| [[Taunton, Massachusetts|Taunton]] || [[Massachusetts]] || 3,804 || [[Northeastern United States (U.S. Census Bureau)|Northeast]] || 55,874
|-
! scope="row" | 21
| [[Lancaster, Pennsylvania|Lancaster]] || [[Pennsylvania]] || 3,762 || [[Northeastern United States (U.S. Census Bureau)|Northeast]] || 59,322
|-
! scope="row" | 22
| [[Richmond, Virginia|Richmond]] || [[Virginia]] || 3,761 || [[Southern United States|South]] || 204,214
|-
! scope="row" | 23
| [[Albany, New York|Albany]] || [[New York (state)|New York]] || 3,498 || [[Northeastern United States (U.S. Census Bureau)|Northeast]] || 97,856
|-
! scope="row" | 24
| [[New Bedford, Massachusetts|New Bedford]] || [[Massachusetts]] || 3,313 || [[Northeastern United States (U.S. Census Bureau)|Northeast]] || 95,072
|-
! scope="row" | 25
| [[Beverly, Massachusetts|Beverly]] || [[Massachusetts]] || 3,290 || [[Northeastern United States (U.S. Census Bureau)|Northeast]] || 39,502
|-
! scope="row" | 26
| [[Smithfield, Rhode Island|Smithfield]] || [[Rhode Island]] || 3,171 || [[Northeastern United States (U.S. Census Bureau)|Northeast]] || 21,430
|-
! scope="row" | 27
| [[Danbury, Connecticut|Danbury]] || [[Connecticut]] || 3,031 || [[Northeastern United States (U.S. Census Bureau)|Northeast]] || 80,893
|-
! scope="row" | 28
| [[Plymouth, Massachusetts|Plymouth]] || [[Massachusetts]] || 2,995 || [[Northeastern United States (U.S. Census Bureau)|Northeast]] || 56,468
|-
! scope="row" | 29
| [[Norfolk, Virginia|Norfolk]] || [[Virginia]] || 2,959 || [[Southern United States|South]] || 242,803
|-
! scope="row" | 30
| [[North Kingstown, Rhode Island|North Kingstown]] || [[Rhode Island]] || 2,907 || [[Northeastern United States (U.S. Census Bureau)|Northeast]] || 26,486
|-
! scope="row" | 31
| [[Andover, Massachusetts|Andover]] || [[Massachusetts]] || 2,863 || [[Northeastern United States (U.S. Census Bureau)|Northeast]] || 33,201
|-
! scope="row" | 32
| [[Rochester, New Hampshire|Rochester]] || [[New Hampshire]] || 2,857 || [[Northeastern United States (U.S. Census Bureau)|Northeast]] || 29,752
|-
! scope="row" | 33
| [[Petersburg, Virginia|Petersburg]] || [[Virginia]] || 2,828 || [[Southern United States|South]] || 32,420
|-
! scope="row" | 34
| [[Alexandria, Virginia|Alexandria]] || [[Virginia]] || 2,748 || [[Southern United States|South]] || 139,966
|-
! scope="row" | 35
| [[Farmington, Connecticut|Farmington]] || [[Connecticut]] || 2,696 || [[Northeastern United States (U.S. Census Bureau)|Northeast]] || 25,340
|-
! scope="row" | 36
| [[Hartford, Connecticut|Hartford]] || [[Connecticut]] || 2,683 || [[Northeastern United States (U.S. Census Bureau)|Northeast]] || 124,775
|-
! scope="row" | 37
| [[Londonderry, New Hampshire|Londonderry]] || [[New Hampshire]] || 2,622 || [[Northeastern United States (U.S. Census Bureau)|Northeast]] || 24,129
|-
! scope="row" | 38
| [[Gilmanton, New Hampshire|Gilmanton]] || [[New Hampshire]] || 2,613 || [[Northeastern United States (U.S. Census Bureau)|Northeast]] || 3,777
|-
! scope="row" | 39
| [[Hudson, New York|Hudson]] || [[New York (state)|New York]] || 2,584 || [[Northeastern United States (U.S. Census Bureau)|Northeast]] || 6,713
|}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category-inline|1790 United States Census}}
* [https://www.census.gov/population/www/censusdata/hiscendata.html Historic US Census data]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20150426102944/http://www.census.gov/prod/www/decennial.html 1790 Census of Population and Housing official reports]
* [https://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0027/tab02.txt Population of 24 Urban Places: 1790]

{{USCensus}}
{{Authority control}}
[[Category:1790 in the United States|Census, 1790]]
[[Category:1st United States Congress]]
[[Category:United States census]]
[[Category:1790 censuses|United States]]